Now look closely. Does your coin look exactly like the coin in my picture? If so, you may have a valuable coin.

But, it is more likely that your coin is slightly different, especially in the beads that go around the eagle. If your coin has the beads, great! That's the first step in having a valuable coin. If there are no beads, the coin value declines to $1 or $2 US dollars, even in good condition, and won't climb above $10 unless fully, absolutely uncirculated.

Some German 10 pfennigs after 1914 were minted in iron, and some were minted in zinc. Use a magnet to tell the difference. All of the beadless coins command low value. But some of the dates and mint marks of beaded coins are real winners. If your coin is in the list below, it is a winner. If not, it carries low value. Here's the list:

Mint marks show under the eagle's tail. Beaded coins in the above list start around $150 catalog value in worn condition, and increase toward $1000 catalog value in fully uncirculated condition. Use the Terminology page to understand what 'catalog value' means.

Also, two other coins, the 1922G coin (shown in the picture) and the 1922E coin are not slouches. These catalog for $50 in average circulated condition. CoinQuest thanks eBay seller lell123 for the use of this nice coin image.

But we have to address an important nuance with the 1916 iron beaded 10 pfennigs. This coin is often counterfeited. 1916 iron coins with A, D, E, F, G, and J mint marks are very common and worth only small amounts, as described above. But the 1916 beaded iron pfennig with no mint mark is rare. So what happens when you find this coin without a mint mark?

Look at the side by side pictures above. The coin on the left has an obvious A mint mark (really two As). The coin on the right has, well, something. Maybe it is a mint mark, maybe it is not. The coin is coated with black goo and it is difficult to tell for sure. And yet, both coins are dated 1916 and the one on the right is being sold on eBay for a bargain basement price of only $250 US dollars. Wow! What a great price for a super-rare coin. Would you buy it? I think not.

For cases like this, there are professional authentication services which specialize in determining whether or not a coin is genuine. Look up PCGS, NGC, ICG, and ANACS on the Internet. Do not use other services.